Electromagnetic winding-gear for clocks and the like.



K. PUTTKAMMER, F. ORTHMANN & J. SGHINDLER.

' ELEOTROMAGNETIG WINDING GEAR 'FOR' OLOGKS AND THE LIKE;

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 5, 1907.

929,011 Patented July 27, 1909.

"UNITED STATES rirranr orrron KARL PUTTKAMMER, OF GROSS-LIGHTERFELDE, NEAR BERLIN, FRIEDRICH ORTHM ANN, OF GHARLOTTENBURG, AND JULIUS SGHINDLER, OF BERLIN, GERMANY, ASSIGNORS TO THE FIRM OF NORMAL-ZEIT GESELLSOHAFT MIT BESOIIRANKIER HAFTUNG, OF BER- LIN, GERMANY.

ELECTROMAGNETIC WINDING-GEAR FOR CLOCKS AND THE LIKE.

Application filed December 5, 1907.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, KARL PU'r'rnAMMnR, merchant, FRIEDRICH ORTHMANN, engineer, and JULIUS SCHINDLER, engineer, citizens of the German Empire, and residents of Gross- Lichterfelde, near Berlin; Charlottenburg, near Berlin, and Berlin, Germany, respectively, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in or Relating to Electromagnetic \VindingGear for Clocks or the Like, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to a clockwork with electromagnetic winding gear and has, for its object to insure great durability with simple construction. The durability of electromagnetic winding gear is chiefly affected by co-sparking produced by contact breaking. Therefore in the construction forming the subject of this invent-ion, care is taken, on the one hand, to reduce as far as possible the intensity of current required for driving the clockwork and thus reduce the size of the spark when switching out the electromagnet by a suitable arrangement of an electromagnet armature having a contact device controlling its oscillating movement, while the formation of sparks on breaking the contact is reduced by effecting the contact breaking very quickly by means of a suitable contact device.

A clockwork showing the new combina tion of an electroinagnet armature with a suitable circuit closing device is illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

Figure 1 shows the essential parts of the new device in combination with a clockwork casing, in side elevation. Fig. 2 shows the working parts in a different position from that given in Fig. 1, Fig. 3 shows the parts partly in plan and partly in section, Figs. 4 and 5 being detail views.

In the device illustrated in the drawing, the clockwork is driven by means of a weighted lever 1 which is mounted so as to be loosely rotatable on the minute spindle 2 of the clockwork to which is secured a ratchet wheel 3 with which engages a pawl 4 secured to the weighted lever 1, so that the ratchet wheel 3 and the spindle 2 are turned during the gradual descent of the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 27, 1909.

Serial No. 405,268.

weighted lever 1, while on the contrary the said lever can be freely raised, as in that case the pawl 4L simply slides over the teeth of the wheel 3. The periodic raising of the weighted lever 1 is effected by an electromagnet armature 5 having a U-shape and surrounding with its two U branches a magnetic coil 6 and rotatably mounted at 7 at one end of the electromagnetic coil. The armature 5 is magnetically connected by means of an iron part 8 in which it is rotatably supported, to one end of the iron core of the electromagnet coil, this arrangement rendering possible the passage of a specially large number of magnetic current lines through the two branches of the armature, so that specially strong magnetic effect is obtained, which enables the weighted lever to be raised by the armature 5' by means of a current of specially small density. The armature 5 is provided on its end farthest away from the pivot pin 7 with an are shaped arm 9 by means of which it engages with the weighted lever 1.

In order to excite the electromagnetic coil 6 of the winding gear for a short moment each time that the weighted lever of the clockwork approaches its bottom position, and thus to rotate the armature 5, so that it should return the lever 1 to its raised position, the lever 1 is provided with a circuit closing finger 1O rotatably mounted at 11 on the weighted lever and controlled by a spring 12. The contact closing finger 10, when the weighted lever 1 is in the bottom position, can come into contact with a circuit closing segment 13, while normally it rests on an insulated segment 14: or on an extension of the same constituted by an insulated roller 15. The insulated segment 14 and the roller 15 are both mounted on a segment-shaped bracket 16 which, like the circuit closing segment 13, is rotatably mounted on 17 concentrically to the minute spindle 2, on a conducting part 18 which is insulated from and mounted on the clockwork casing wall 19. The two segments 13 and 16 have a certain limited freedom of movement relatively to each other, for which purpose there is provided a shackle 20 secured to the segment 16 and engaging with an opening 21 or the segment 13. Pins 22, 23 on the conductor part 18 limit the movement of the segments 16 or 13 downward or upward. The circuit closing segment 13 is provided with a recess 24: into which is inserted a spring 25 which can be slightly pushed aside, when the circuit closing finger 10 engages with the recess 24.

One end of the winding of the electromagnet coil 6 is connected by a twisted wire 26 to one pole piece 27, while the other end of the electromagnetic winding is connected by a twisted wire 28 to the iron part 8 secured to one pole end of the iron core and thus connected to the casing of the clockwork. The circuit is closed-when a bridge is formed from the casing of the clockwork through the circuit closing finger 10 to the circuit closing segment 13, from the metallic support 18 of which a twisted wire 29 leads to the second pole piece.

The working of the device is as follows: Assuming that the weighted lever 1 is in the lowest position shown in Fig. 2, then the circuit closing finger 1O rests in the recess 24 of the circuit closing segment 13, so that it forms a bridge from the casing of the clockwork to the circuit closing segment 13, and thus to the pole piece 30. The conse quence of this is the excitation or" the electromagnet coil 6 which brings about a rotation of the U-shaped armature 5 which brings the weighted lever 1 into the raised position shown in Fig. 1. The circuit closing finger 10 is then disengaged from the recess 24: of the circuit closing segment 17, slides over the insulated roller 15 and engages with the insulated segment 14. The circuit is closed only for a second, as it is at once broken as soon as the circuit closing finger comes into contact with the insulated roller 15. During the gradual movement of the weighted lever 1, the two segments connected together by the shackle 20, are raised by the circuit closing finger 10 until the segment 13 strikes the pin 23. As soon as this takes place the circuit closing finger 10 slides gradually over the insulated segment 1a and the insulated roller 15, the arrangement of the rotatable roller 15 considerably contributing to the reduction of friction. As the segments 16 and 13 have a certain freedom of movement, the segment 16 falls downward by gravity as soon as the circuit closing finger has passed over its roller 15, and the circuit closing finger 10 can freely engage with the recess 24 of the segment 13, the action of the spring 25 increasing the reliability of the contact. This arrangement thus brings about a very quick, and good contact which insures reliable working of the clockwork. After the circuit closing finger 10 has become engaged with the recess 24: of the segment 13, the lever is raised again into its upper position.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention and in what manner the same is to be perormed, we declare that what we claim is:

1. in electromagnetic winding gear for clocks or the like comprising an electromagnetic coil having an iron core, a U-shaped iron armature, an iron carrier for said U- shaped arn'iatnre mounted at one end of said coil, the ti shaped armature rotatably connected to said carrier and adapted to inclose said coil between its Ll-branches, a driving lever adapted to be periodically raised by said U-shaped armature and a contact device controlling the operation of said U- shaped armature.

2. An electromagnetic winding gear for clocks or the like comprising an electromagnetic coil having an iron core, a clock work spindle, a clock work spindle driving member, a U-shaped iron armature for transmitting power to said clock spindle driving member, said armature being pivoted to one end of the core of said coil and adapted to inclose the coil between its U-branches, a contact device for controlling the movements of said armature, said contact device comprising a circuit breaking segment, a circuit closing segment and a circuit closing finger mounted on said clockwork spindle driving member.

3. An electromagnetic winding gear for clocks or the like comprising an electromagnetic coil having an iron core, a clock work spindle, a clock work spindle driving memher, a U-shaped iron arn'lature for transmitting power to said clock spindle driving member, said armature being pivoted to one end of the core of said coil and adapted to inclose the coil between its U-branches, a contact device for controlling the movements of said armature, said contact device comprising a circuit breaking segment, a circuit closing segment and a circuit closing finger mounted on said clockwork spindle driving member, spindles about which said two segments are rotatable which coincide substantially with said driven clock work spindle and cooperating with said circuit closing finger, the circuit breaking segment having two separated insulating parts, one of which is a roller.

4;. An electromagnetic winding gear for clocks or the like comprising an electromagnetic coil having an iron core, a clock work spindle, a clock work spindle driving member, a U-shaped iron armature for transmitting power to said clock spindle driving member, said armature being pivoted to one end 01'": the core of said coil and adapted to inclose the coil between its U-branches, a contact device for controlling the movements of said armature, said contact device comprising a circuit breaking segment, a circult closing segment and a circuit closing finger mounted on said clockwork spindle specification in the presence of two subscribdrlvlng member, spindles about whlch sald 111g wltnesses.

two segments are rotatable which coincide KARL PUTTKAMMER.

substantially with said driven clockwork FRIEDRICH ORTHMANN. L spindle and cooperating with said circuit JULIUS SCHINDLER.

closing fingers, the circuit closing segment lVitnesses:

having a resilient contact member. HENRY HAsPnn,

In testimony whereof we have signed this VVOLDEMAR HAUPT. 

